Emma Watson Joins the Venice Slingback Wave in Gucci’s Chain-Link Pumps

Emma Watson arrived in Italy on Saturday in one of the most popular footwear silhouettes of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival: slingbacks, specifically Gucci’s Signoria slingbacks.

Her pair came in tan calf leather with a pointed toe, open sides and a 105mm stiletto. A slim sling curves around the heel, interrupted by Gucci’s chain detail — the only hardware on an otherwise clean cut.

That finish no longer sits on Gucci’s shelves. The brand’s current Signoria lineup, which retails at $1,200, favors shiny patent in black, red, pink and green. Watson’s matte brown pair comes from an earlier run, quieter but sharper against the backdrop of this week’s festival.

She’s not the only one leaning into the form. Slingbacks have been everywhere in Venice: Kim Kardashian in Saint Laurent, Heidi Klum in Aquazzura and Amal Clooney donned the silhouette in Prada. Each variation repeats the same outline — a pump opened at the back — making the shape feel like the unofficial uniform of the season.

The Gucci model itself is having a week. One day before Watson, Halle Berry touched down in New York in the same Signoria silhouette, styled with a pinstriped dress for “The Drew Barrymore Show.” The timing linked the chain-link heel across coasts, running from daytime television to the docks of Venice without pause.

Watson kept the frame pared back with a sleeveless lime green shift dress. Black sunglasses and a thin pendant were the only additions, leaving the chain at her heel to do the work. The stop also marked her Venice debut — not tied to a film, but as a rare public sighting after years offscreen, much of them spent on her studies at Oxford.

At a festival where sandals and platforms usually run the carpet, slingbacks have cut through. Watson’s pair is just the latest proof.